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If You Didn't Need Money, What Would You Do?
permaculture had this simple but philosophical query to run by you all, today: "I was once asked this question: 'If you didn't have to work for money, what would you do with your time?' I've put that question to many people since I first heard it, and got a lot of different answers. It seems to me that the answer to this question is what you should be aiming for even though you do have to spend most of your time earning a crust."
I would continue to work to satisfy the basic human need to feel worth something.
If I had functionally endless money, I'd do the following:
I'd give lots and lots to charity -- I don't want to leave any money to my kids -- they need to earn whatever they get in the world
I'd buy a farm -- 1000 acres or more, build a sweet house, build barns and outbuildings, raise horses, and grow and harvest my own hay.
Yeah, that's about it.
If money wasn't an issue, I'd join the force tomorrow. Unfortunately, you can't afford a Suzuki GSX-R1000 and a Westminster apartment on the salary that this lot pay.
But, you can't have it all!
Last I recall, two musicians and a fisherman.
... and so tend to gravitate towards a culture of success in sport being good and in class being bad, almost social death. Not good. If I could help turn that around for just a few kids...
Speaking personally, I love performing. I love jamming music, I love writing music, I love listening to music. I even enjoy the physical act of playing (I'm a trumpeter). The idea of being able to dedicate myself to that properly is immensely tempting. Heck, when writing music I've got many challenges similar to writing software.
I'll probably always write a little software for personal amusement but it's not exactly a relaxing discipline, as I'm showing by posting this from the office in the UK and I've been here at or around this time for most of the last week.
If I wasn't a musician, I'd teach. Infant or lower primary, so probably the under 8-9s. I do a bit of voluntary work with that age group in my spare time and it's immensely rewarding, but quite frustrating in that you just don't get to see that much of the kids' development.
Equally, I know that there's a strong theory going round in the UK now that says part of the reason we have significantly lower educational attainment in boys than girls is that most primary school teachers are female. The girls have teachers to look up to - the boys have footballers, TV presenters, parents (who, statistically speaking, aren't likely to be models of educational attainment)
(Yes, I know teaching's hard work and it wouldn't be an easy ride after software!)
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
Maybe I wouldn't need to watch Fight Club at least once a day to keep my sanity. Well, since I was beaten to the mandatory "Nothing. I would do absolutley nothing" post, I guess I better fess up a real answer. I, as would most of you, probably get around to the million projects I have on my to-do list. *Weekly streamed radio show *Free, open, project of some sort *Create a game with some close friends *Read (for pleasure) more *That thing called "sleep" I hear so much about *Get to know my elders *Attend cons *Fish *Smile once in awhile *Contribute more to things I believe in We would all probably live a lot longer.
We are all Gods unwanted children. Did you ever consider he may hate you too?
Aquire a Sail boat and sail around the carribiean island hopping.
Aquire a small plane and fly around the world.
Play Hockey alot more.
Those are just a few of my dreams for when I retire so I guess I could get a head start on them.
Anybody else have about umpteen thousand books on their to-be-read list?
First thing - read until my eyes hurt!
(And then go to the optometrist.)
As a biologist, I have spent a lot of time reverse engineering life. If I had the time and funding, I would pursue my hobby of forward engineering life. A lot of subsumptive architecture theory in the field of robotics focuses on emulating insects. I figured I just use insects as the platform to begin with. I am experimenting with bees right now, but would like to start working with other insects. It would be heaven to hack at it full time.
First entomology, then virology, and finally bioinformatics systems. Bugs follow me wherever I go.
If I didn't have to show up at work, and I still got paid, I would do the following
Why are you asking? Are you looking for the best answer and then giving that person a stipend to quite their job? If you are...I can come up with fifty other things I'd rather do.
-Turkey
There are 196 lakes within 2 hours north, and east of my home. Getting out into nature is my idea fun. Rafting, camping, hiking, kyaking, even just rollerblading 'round the neighbourhood.
Sketching with graphite, charcoal, and chalk pastel is another good way to relax and loose track of time.
Now that you have brought up the topic I have to ask myself, "why I am sitting in a dark room posting platitudes to slashdot while the sun is shining outside?" I'm logging off, see y'all tommorow.
But, the number one reason I enjoy it so much: I get to play with Lego's every day!
that is too easy. buy an R1, and big chunk of land in a semi-hilly region, build a F1 spec race course, and ride ride ride. then, when i get bored, promote as many races as possible, of all types (car, truck, bike, go-cart, tank, snowmobile, lawnmower etc), on that very track.
likelihood: zero
*sigh*
Here is what I want...
I've never really understood people who say "But what would you do if you won the lottery; wouldn't you be really bored?" Perhaps it's because I don't automatically come from the perspective that says 'work is my life, and anything I do outside of that is frivolous entertainment'. I find it's more like 'work is something I do to survive, and unfortunately it takes up a lot of time that I would rather spend doing things I enjoy'.
I would love to have all the time in the world to study and learn about all the subjects I'm really interested in, but don't have time to get deeply into because of real life. I'd read into academic subjects, like genetics, neuroscience, philosophy, pure maths; I'd spend much more time practising the piano, improving my technique and increasing my repertoire; I'd read lots of novels; I'd learn all the programming languages and other techie stuff that I never have time to devote to.
Basically, without the pressure of having to focus my attention on skills that will make me attractive in the job market (or at least in the able-to-make-money market), then I don't think I'd ever run out of interesting things with which to occupy my mind!
Uh, thanks for your political rant, but you did an excellent job at missing the point.
The question has nothing to do with politics. It is not, should everyone receive a living wage without working, or should everyone be given a living wage while they're finding work, or anything like that. It's a philosophical question: *If you didn't have to work, what would you do?*
Anything about politics is missing the point (unless, of course, you'd go into politics with your free time). Anything about money is also missing the point; that's why I put in the bit about assuming not infinite money, but the same amount of money you make now.
Whatever you may wish to be true, the fact is there are many people who take whatever job they can get, because they need a reliable source of income, and those people would much rather be doing a different job. And there are other people who simply can't find a line of work the enjoy. So the question is directed at those people: *What would you rather be doing?*